Could the Butterfly effect land the Eagles Le’Veon Bell?

The NFL is an unforgiving league. Time after time, top stars are lost due to injury. Last season alone names such as Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, and 49 others lost their season due to an ACL tear. 2018 has been no different than seasons past. This past weekend the San Francisco 49ers’ lost their franchise quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, to a non-contact ACL tear. Many NFL experts pegged the 49ers as a team that could make a push at not just the playoffs, but a run at Super Bowl 53. Losing your franchise quarterback is not promising for a team many had expected to turn around in 2018.

Week 4 of the NFL season is a tough time to be searching for a quarterback who could potentially get a team into the playoffs. Two of the most notable names being Teddy Bridgewater and A.J. McCarron had already been traded. Teddy Bridgewater was previously traded to the Saints and A.J. McCarron was sent from Buffalo to Oakland. Now where might a quarterback-needy team find a suitable QB in week 4? *Enters from stage right* The Philadelphia Eagles.

The Butterfly Effect or Chaos Theory as it is more commonly is “the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.” In short, the slightest effect of a butterfly flapping its wings can have prolonged changes on the ecosystem around it. To give an example, we will look at the 2016 Philadelphia Eagles. As a start, Chip Kelly was fired in the offseason, where Doug Pederson took over as coach. Doug, Howie, and co. realized they wanted Carson and used assets to trade from 13 to 8 to number 2. The organization had all intents and purposes of keeping Carson Wentz on the bench for the 2016 season. Sam Bradford was named the starter going into the year.

Then came the flap of the butterfly’s wings.

As we all know, unfortunately, Teddy Bridgewater went down with a non-contact injury in Vikings camp just under two weeks before the season. With Bridgewater down, the Vikings looked outside the organization for help. Expecting a deep playoff run, the Vikings anted up a 1st and a 4th round pick for Sam Bradford. Wentz would go on to become the starter in Philadelphia gaining much-needed experience. The Eagles would use their 1st round pick to select Derek Barnett, who would go on to getting the game-sealing fumble recovery in Super Bowl 52.

Now if Teddy Bridgewater never went down to injury, what happens? Does Bradford remain the starter? Does Wentz come off the bench during the season? Does Chase Daniel leave Philly knowing he may have a chance to win the starting role in 2017? And the list goes on and on. One slight shift in the universe and everything can change.

Fast forward to 2018. As I had previously premised, Jimmy G went down to an ACL tear in Week 3. Who is a team that has an available quarterback who has replaced an injured QB and had success? The Philadelphia Eagles. With Wentz returning from his rehab of his ACL, he has reclaimed his role as the starter from Nick Foles. It was much discussed in the 2018 offseason if Foles should be traded or not. Many, including myself, thought a trade was in the best interest of the Eagles. Foles would stick with the team and start the first two games for the Birds. But many are left wondering “should the Eagles have traded Foles for a 2nd round pick?” Well, they may once again have that chance.

Part two of this butterfly effect is someone who I have yet to mention. Le’Veon Bell.

I preface these following statements that this is all off of pure speculation. This all stemmed from a tweet I saw on 9/24.

Bell is owed $11.8 million on the franchise tag. Per Shefty, it will likely cost a 3rd rounder to acquire Bell & whoever acquires him cannot re-sign him until the end of the year. (So he could walk).

FYI: the Eagles need to clear $6.5m in cap space per OverTheCap to fit Bell

This made my wheels turn. As we all know Le’Veon has been holding out since the end of the 2017 season. One of the best backs in the game has made it known that he wants to be paid, and Pittsburgh has yet to do so. Though a deal cannot come until the end of the year, a team may look to Le’Veon as a rental all for the cheap price of a 3rd round pick. Now I am a big believer in the quote “where there’s smoke there’s fire.” I can recall a tweet from a few months back that seemed foolish at the time but may be more relevant now than ever.

Take this as you will. Geoff Mosher is pretty well connected within the NFL community and this may hold some weight. But for now, we speculate.

Back to the butterfly effect.

The Eagles are currently in quite the pickle in regards to the cap. With just over $5 million with plenty of free agents upcoming, the Eagles are in no position to be handing out large extensions. So how would the Eagles be able to pay Le’Veon? By trading Nick Foles.

With C.J. Beatherd as the next QB up for the 49ers, Shannahan cannot be happy with the current state of his quarterback room. John Lynch has not been shy in regards to trades. He shelled out a 2nd round pick to get his franchise QB from the Patriots in 2017. This move would not be out of the realm of possibility between trader Howie and John Lynch. SF currently has their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th round picks. For a QB with a cap hit of $13.6 million (before pro-rata) and $20.6 in 2019, a 4th round pick should be able to get the job done. For a 49ers team with $40+ million in cap room, Foles would easily fit into their payroll.

If the Eagles received a 4th for Nick Foles they not only pick up a draft asset but also over $10+ million in cap space. With the additional cap the Eagles would have near $15 million, well over the $11.8 owed to Le’Veon Bell. Philadelphia is projected to have 11 draft picks once they receive comp picks, and a ‘9ers 4th would bring them to 12. In 2017, Howie gave the Miami Dolphins a 4th round pick to acquire back, Jay Ajayi. A 3rd round pick, when you have 12 picks is not the steepest price especially for a GM who has done similar in the past.

Philadelphia is in no shape to make a long-term deal, especially for a running back. Though, a rental, especially for someone as productive as Le’Veon Bell, may be worth the price. The Rams gave out short-term contracts to playmakers this offseason to go all-in for the Super Bowl in 2018. The Eagles may need to up their arsenal if they want a greater chance to repeat. Now, this deal has about a 5 percent chance of happening in my opinion. But, never say never with Howie Roseman.

If Teddy Bridgewater never tears his ACL does Wentz become the player he is today? If Howie hired Ben McAdoo, would he have agreed to trade up for Carson? If Foles retired would the Eagles have won the Super Bowl? That is the magic of the butterfly effect.

It is most likely fan fiction that the Eagles trade for Le’Veon after sending Nick Foles to the 49ers. But without Jimmy G tearing his ACL and Le’Veon holding out, this discussion never takes place. In a league that has seen some of its largest stars traded as of recent, it may not be long before a few more are on the move. Once again, the Philadelphia Eagles may become the next flap of the butterfly’s wings.

Gino Cammilleri is a die hard Eagles fan who resides in Buffalo, NY. Since 2001, Gino has been a fan of the midnight green and white Eagles. He graduated in 2015 from Daemen College with a Masters Degree in Accounting. A fan of the Oregon Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Yankees, Gino loves the Eagles above all else. Gino has previously written for Philadelphia Sports Network before joining Locked on Eagles. Currently enrolled in the Scouting Academy, Gino is looking to continue to focus his efforts on sports journalist.

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